Winter on His Deathbed
by Silan Haye
Summary: As Elias' power grew stronger, it started to freeze its host away—and this time, not even the truest of love was strong enough to thaw it. Genderbend!Frozen. Brotherly fic.


**Title **: Winter on His Deathbed

**Summary **: As Elias' power grew stronger, it started to freeze its host away—and this time, not even the truest of love was strong enough to thaw it. Genderbend!Frozen. Brotherly fic.

**Warning** : Character death.

**Disclaimer**: Frozen © Walt Disney Studio.

**A/N** : So all these genderbend stuff give me lots of muse and I decided to write this short ANGSTY oneshot because why the heck not. I like angsty bromance anyway. Oh, and there wouldn't be any mention of Krista/Kristoff in this, sorry, I just want to focus on the brothers' dynamic.

* * *

~.~.~

* * *

A curse was still a curse no matter how beautiful it might be. Elias learned it the hard way.

_You power has grown much too strong for your body to contain it._

_Not only would it freeze your heart, but also your blood, your soul._

_I'm so sorry, my King, but it seems that this time, even the truest of love could not save you._

The trolls said he had a year, at most. Everyone was devastated, to say the least, but the one who seemed less affected by it was the king himself. He kept his composure as he broke the news to the Royal Council members, and when Andy came to pester him about why he had not been attending their weekly archery lesson, he broke the news with a sad accepting smile.

Andy on the other hand, was a complete mess. When he first found out, he only laughed nervously and tried to make his brother told him it was a only a joke. His heart broke when Elias only smiled bitterly and just said that it was the truth and Andy could only stare at him. With a stuttering goodbye he excused himself, a speechless, formal goodbye with hardly any words to convey how he felt, Andy ran off.

While it seemed that Andy was running away, the boy needed time to gather his thoughts. He ran to the deep forest on the edge of his kingdom, and he sat heavily under a birch tree, unsure of what to think, or what to feel. His heart felt like it'd been ripped out and was currently being stepped on by the Gods themselves, and it hurt to even breathe.

_Elias is going to die. My brother is going to die._

Those thoughts seemed to wrap itself around Andy's sanity, and he couldn't help but shake his head at the craziness of it all. Elias couldn't die; he just couldn't in the younger brother's eyes. Andy had planned so much with Elias being the base of it all, and the new information seemed to strike in and just shatter everything like fragile glass. He had planned to take a long trip thorough their land, just the two of them, and he'd tell their people about his brother and the magic things he can do. They would take care of Arendelle the same way their parents used to be, and then maybe have a happy life until their skin wrinkled and their hair grayed. He never thought of Elias dying could actually happen, like knowing but not knowing at the same time. Like knowing the sun sets, but never actually seeing it.

Andy cried that night, alone and cold in his too spacious chamber. Of course, he had cried over so many things in his life, but this one felt different. Each teardrop seemed to suck his desire to live and will to move out of him. Everything hurt, it hurt too much, and Andy just wanted it to stop.

For the first few weeks Andy avoided Elias, and his princely duties, completely. He chose to spend it in his room, refusing meals almost every time, and staring up blankly at the ceiling. His room, which usually kept prime and organized by the maids, was a complete mess. At this point in time Andy had accepted that Elias was going to die, and was desperately trying to calculate why this had happened to Elias, why Elias? Hadn't he been through so much already?

Elias who had an altruistic personality that Andy found inspiring, a brave man whose only fear was to hurt someone else. Someone with a kind heart and equally kind smile, with a dash of mischief glint in his eyes that Andy barely saw. It was rare when Elias showed that wilder side of his, but when he did, when he challenged Andy on an equestrian match, when he produced snow balls out of nowhere and threw it straight to Andy's face, when he laughed out loud at the younger's bewildered expression; Andy thanked whoever up there who made them as brothers.

Andy blamed Gods, he blamed himself, he blamed the world, and he blamed the trolls. It seemed that he blamed everyone, and hated them for it. How dare they keep on living, moving on forward, don't they see the pain that is happening? Then he realized how stupid he sounded, how foolish and naïve, and realized that millions of people die every day. Millions of people also felt the anguish that ripped his soul to pieces, and yet Andy still felt like he was alone.

By the time Andy could face the fact and accept it, Elias had already resigned from his throne, spending most of his time resting in his room. Andy stood in the doorway, as his brother slept peacefully on the bed, the thick velvet curtains blocked any possible light to grace around the room. Stepping inside the room, Andy quietly pulled a chair up beside the bed. Sitting down, he wondered what he should say.

"…Hey, brother. Are you just going to sit and stare, or wake me up and talk to me?" Andy blinked and realized that Elias was looking at him with that gentle smile on his face. The humor he had attempted caused Andy to almost restart his grieving process all over again. Instead, he merely shrugged and smiled weakly.

"Hey, Elias," he greeted, and Elias eyed him for a moment, as though expecting his energetic younger brother to start droning his ears off, but said brother didn't know what to say this time. The silence that filled the room was awkward yet comfortable and at last, Andy let his head rest in his hands and spoke—

"—I'm so sorry, Elias."

What was he sorry for? Andy didn't know, just that he was and he wanted to apologize even though he knew it would do no good. The feeling would not go away.

Elias didn't say anything, only sighed and shook his head. He leaned forward and grabbed Andy's hand before leaning back and closed his eyes. "Dammit, Andy," he muttered under his breath, and Andy couldn't help to give a slightest tint of bleak smile—his brother never curse before. He let Elias held his hand and could almost hear what he was thinking.

_Do I need to hold your hand through this?_

_Yes_, Andy answered without words. _Yes, and I wish you'd never let go._

Andy knew that Elias needed to hold his hand as much as Andy needed Elias to hold his in this whole process.

* * *

~.~.~

* * *

Months passed, and Andy did his best to hold himself together for Elias as well as others in his life. Now that he'd be the next king to be crowned his lessons were tripled it felt like he had barely enough time to sleep, and those small gaps between his tight-packed schedule he used to storm off to his brother's room. He'd stay there, just talking with Elias or watching over him when he was too tired to do anything other than sleep, until the physicians practically kicked him out or his next tutor dragged him to the their lesson. As far as he was concerned, lessons didn't matter to Andy, but after his brother scolded and reminded him about his responsibility, he started to try in his utmost effort if only to please his older brother.

As the time passed, Andy began to notice the gradual changes in Elias. It was as though there was this big hole above his head, feeding off his spirit until it was simmered down to nothing. His appetite diminishing as well, and he suddenly looked so small under the plethora of blankets. It scared Andy how his brother would sometimes turned ice cold, his complexion paling rapidly and crusts of thin ice started to form on his limp hands, his eyes stared blankly at him like that of statue's. But he was always back to being the same after an hour or so, and Andy never told him about his episode.

And then, one day, Elias didn't wake up.

Andy only sat there, watching, as the physicians came in and checked his stats, unsure of what to do. He wasn't dead, Andy knew, but he was heading there. A physician bowed at him and whispered quietly.

"The hearing is the last to go. Go and talk to him as best as you can, Sire. We'll leave you for now."

Andy could only nod numbly and stumbled to his brother's bedside, barely noticing the physicians who walked solemnly outside and closed the door with a soft click.

Standing there, Andy could feel tears started to swell up again. His throat hurt as he knelt down and rested his head on the bedside, his hands finding Elias'. Without knowing where to start, or what to do, Andy began to speak.

"You know, brother…" Brother, a title of Elias which Andy liked the best. "...I have planned to travel around the kingdom with you this year. You know, like we always dreamed on when we where little? Yeah, I planned to make that dream comes true. And then…." And then they would mend their brotherly bond again, tighter than ever, as though no closed doors ever separate them.

Andy started again. "I always admired you, you know? Even in the times we rarely see each other, because you're so amazing in everything you do. I want to be like you, because everything in you is so c-cool…."

He laughed and sobbed at his bad pun. Elias' breathing was slowing down, like a tired bird nearing its nest after a long day of flying. Andy closed his eyes and focused on repressing the budding sob, trying not to break down. Taking another deep breath, his throat constricted terribly, he began to speak again. His voice was strained and it hurt to talk.

"You make me smile, you make me laugh, you give me the courage to face the world be-because I know I'd never be alone. I just—I want to…" Andy felt tears on his cheeks. He ignored the feeling, and moved himself so that he was leaning over Elias, running a hand through his silver hair. Andy could only smile sadly.

"…I want to let you know that I love you."

Elias was taking huge breaths now, and it slowed with each breath he took. Andy could only shake his head, in despair and grotesque curiosity, as Elias finally took on big breath and stopped breathing. Andy leaned forward kissing his brother's forehead, whispering brokenly.

"I love you so much, brother. And I always will."

END


End file.
